One Month
by Zombiebrainz
Summary: maxie and archie are in a closet. subsequently that results in being uncomfortably close, a touch of insanity, and a deal being made that will last for a month. maxie doesn't think archie will actually follow through, but he underestimates just how determined archie is. [ multi-chaptered fic, maxie/archie, maxie x archie, hardenshipping, yada yada ]
1. The Bet

"I hate you."  
>"I know that already, Maxie. You've said it plenty of times—"<br>"No, you cannot exactly _fathom _how deep my hatred is. No matter how many times you may have heard it, you will never truly grasp it."

That was how it was going to begin.  
>But wasn't that how it originally began, their rivalry, their fierce competition to outbest one another in their goals of expansion of the sea and land?<br>Truly opposites and constantly at one another's throats in their own way, it had all begun with a bitter hatred churned up by their disagreements.  
>And now, that was how it was going to begin a grueling period of time spent in a <em>closet.<em>

It was not quite fitting of the title 'broom', but nor was it quite at 'walk-in'—it was safe to call it a medium, right in between the two and leaving very little room for two grown men to shift, but plenty for them to be squished together and still remain alive.  
>Maxie, jamming himself as tightly as was humanly possible against the wall, leered at his closet companion, who leant up against the wall, looking comfortable in his sitting position while Maxie remained curled into himself.<br>"If you hadn't pushed me into here—"  
>"Me? Pushing <em>you<em>? You tripped and dragged me in here with you!"

Maxie, wanting to claw out Archie's eyes within this close proximity, rattled the door handle helplessly. Locked. How in the world was it locked when it had only shut behind them?  
>"Either way, we're stuck," Maxie announced grimly, as if this was truly the end. His facial expression said it all, his sinking despair of being confined to such close quarters with an imbecile. Archie, doubting Maxie's announcement, tried the handle as well, and then remembered.<br>"… It automatically locks," he realized, Maxie looking over sharply.  
>"What?"<br>"The closet—er, well, this is more of a storage unit."  
>Archie took a moment to evaluate the steel interior, the 'closet', or rather storage unit, currently vacated of what it had been holding.<br>"It had been holding some parts for the submarine and I didn't want them stolen, so it automatically locks itself when it's closed…"

Resisting the urge to bash his head against the wall until falling unconscious—far preferred over being in this situation—Maxie pursed his lips.  
>"And is there anyone who is around who could possibly get us out?"<br>Archie smiled sheepishly.  
>"When I found out you lot had invaded the base, I, uh, told everyone to move out."<br>He didn't know whether to laugh or cringe at Maxie's look of undiluted rage, for a moment thinking he really was going to be smacked when Maxie sighed, taking an incredibly deep breath and holding it for a moment.  
>Exhaling, long and slow, his eyes flickered back to the steel-enforced door, evaluating it.<br>"This space is too small for Camerupt," he muttered, thinking about the pokemon's Flamethrower. It could easily melt down the door, but even if the space was big enough, they'd be trapped in an inferno of heat. The consequences were worse than the outcome, so he discarded that idea.  
>"And despite your body-building fetish, you don't have enough muscle to take down this door…"<br>"Hey!"

Ignoring Archie's protesting cry, considering how unbeneficial it was to this whole fiasco, Maxie rapped his knuckles against the door.  
>Solid.<br>Even better, there truly was no escape, especially with there being no method of picking the door handle from the outside. The lock was on the exterior, obviously not planning ahead to any fools that may get themselves stuck.  
>Realizing that they were the fools, Maxie grimaced—it wasn't entirely his fault, it was mostly Archie's anyways.<br>He had been walking towards him, his foot had gotten stuck on the stupid grating of the floor, the closet was open, and, well, apparently Archie wasn't quite ready to brace himself when he was grabbed onto…

Folding his legs closer to his chest, Maxie sighed, figuring that all hope was lost, or at least until one of his grunts found them.  
>Hopefully his team was still scouring the vicinity. He had told them to look for any abandoned, vital documents to Aqua's plans, but who knew how long that would take?<br>Their base was considerably large and it was debatable whether they'd be found that promptly.

"… Maxie, look at me."

On reflex did Maxie look over at Archie, not necessarily out of response to the command, scowling at the Aqua leader.  
>"Looking at you isn't going to help us in this dire situation," he growled, his aggressive stance quickly switching to defensive as Archie leaned forward, Maxie leaning back in correspondence.<br>"Please tell me you haven't gone mad already from this small space," Maxie muttered, wincing as palms pressed tight to the sides of his face, Maxie feeling his cheeks squished under calloused skin as a rage began to boil up in his chest.  
>"If you do not let go of me in ten seconds…" he muttered darkly, his fury becoming only worse as a grin split Archie's face.<br>"You have _freckles!_"

Maxie blinked, baffled as to what Archie was talking about, and then-  
>"Y-you're seeing things!" he stuttered, quickly trying to swat away those much-stronger hands and cover up his face, squirming to get away, but alas, the closet was not bending and shaping itself as he would have preferred.<br>He was pinned, Archie's superior stature keeping him fixed against the wall as his face became brighter and brighter with humiliation, and Archie's delighted expression didn't help it.

"You have _freckles _and I didn't even notice!" Archie repeated, laughing hysterically as if it were the best thing he had ever discovered.  
>Were those tears Maxie saw in his eyes from how intensely he was laughing?<br>Feeling a mix of anger, humiliation, and sheer desperation to go hide somewhere, Maxie finally managed to push Archie away as his hands became weakened by his gut-wrenching laughter, Archie thumping back against his wall as he shook.  
>"Y-you, were you wearing <em>make-up <em>before to cover that shit up? I didn't know you were that self-conscious, Maxie."  
>He snorted, having difficulty even speaking as he choked out words around his giggles, the heels of his palms rubbing away tears as Maxie tried to push himself further up against the wall.<p>

"I-I—I have _never—_you're just… you're just blind!" Maxie sputtered helplessly, his face feeling as if it were on fire as Archie's laughter simmered down to the occasional chuckle and then to nothing but a huge, satisfied grin.  
>"Maybe this closet thing has paid off after all. Never thought I'd get so close 'n personal with you of all people, Maxie," Archie snorted with a happy sigh, his mood lifted by his discovery as he wiped away the last of his tears of laughter.<br>"D'you always try to cover 'em up, or only when around me, huh, Maxie?"  
>Upper lip curling back, Maxie felt his hands pulse with the need to throttle Archie.<br>"When did you become so fixated on this topic?!"  
>"It's okay, Maxie, I understand now. You're trying to impress me, so you've been coverin' up! I'd want to impress me, too. I'm a pretty great guy."<p>

Maxie could actually feel his eye twitching.  
>The surge of emotions, of the anger, humiliation, somehow had caused his eye to being <em>twitching.<em>

He would not live another ten minutes in this closet.  
>He'd find a way to end it all, whether it is his life, or Archie's. Preferably Archie's—he still had things to do.<br>"I'm—I've never been trying to impress you, you are the _last _person I would want to impress," Maxie fiercely corrected, Archie unconvinced, scooting closer.  
>"What, no, don't get closer I didn't—Stop that!"<br>Archie grabbed onto Maxie's shoulders and dragged him closer, pressing him to his side with an arm hugging him snugly.  
>Maxie, on the other hand, was pushing against him, fruitlessly trying to escape to the now vacated other side of the closet.<p>

"That's so cute, you're even trying to deny it!" sighed Archie, Maxie staring down the hand on his shoulder, debating whether or not to bite it. "Did you start up your team to get my attention? You must have been really smitten when you had first seen me, all those years ago. Wow, that explains a _lot—_Christ!"  
>Archie's babbling ended in a pained yelp as Maxie sank his teeth into his hand, the Aqua leader snapping back up his arm as he gawked at the blood dripping down from the back of his hand.<br>"People don't bite the person they have a crush on, Maxie!" he wheezed, taking off his bandana to wrap it. He was more than willing to sacrifice it—he had plenty more back home.  
>"I <em>do not <em>have a crush on you, you egotistical idiot," Maxie huffed, grimacing at the metallic taste of the blood in his mouth as he crept back over to the side Archie had abandoned. Jamming himself up in the corner, he was tempted to spit out Archie's tainted blood, but he did not want to have to sit with it.  
>Begrudgingly, he swallowed, gagging a little in the process.<br>Disgusting.

Neatly ripped and tying a shred of his bandana around the teeth marks, Archie double-checked his knot before turning his attention on Maxie, who looked sullen sitting in his corner.  
>"… So you don't have a crush on me," Archie mused, Maxie glaring at him.<br>"You are an egomaniac if you think I do. Did you not hear me talk about how much I hate you?"  
>"I bet I could change that."<p>

Blinking, Maxie stared at Archie, baffled.  
>"You can't just change how someone feels, especially someone who hates you—"<br>Archie seemed to just love cutting him off in the middle of talking, though this time Maxie went from huffy and displeased to terrified as hands slammed against the steel wall above him. He could feel the vibrations through his back, shrinking down while still trying to look confident as he peered up at Archie.  
>Hovering above him, he blocked what light there was from the single lightbulb above them, becoming nothing more than a silhouette as he dipped down.<br>"Give me a month," he stated, less of a suggestion and more of a demand.  
>"One month and I'll get you to change your mind on that."<p>

Maxie blinked, though remembering the hand hovering above his head that could ever-so-easily smash down, he just huffed.  
>"Whatever. I don't care," he muttered, tensing as one of the hands did drop, expecting to be struck for his less-than-pleasing answer.<br>Instead, Archie's rough, worn fingertips brushed along his jaw, a shiver going down Maxie's spine at the sensation.  
>"Then it's a deal," purred Archie, his voice deepening, becoming strangely rich as he leaned in closer. Maxie had no room to flee, only able to stare wide-eyed as Archie gradually closed the distance between them, feeling his heart thump hard in his chest as the distance became a good ten inches, five, two—<p>

"Boss?"

Maxie almost started weeping and praising all the gods in existence, looking over and seeing one of his grunts standing at the now open closet door.  
>The interruption caused Archie to also look over, providing Maxie the time to push him back and scrabble to his feet, darting out of the small closet space.<br>"Thank god you got here in time—this _pervert _locked me in there with him. I can only imagine what he might have accomplished had you not come in time," Maxie sighed in relief, shuddering towards the end as he looked back towards Archie.  
>Several more grunts were approaching, Maxie turning away dismissively.<br>"Dump him out in the ocean near Mossdeep, where he belongs," he ordered, and as he looked back with the satisfaction of having the control this time, he twitched, seeing Archie grinning back at him.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Maxie," he hummed, Maxie grimacing before turning away, hearing a grunt as he was knocked out and his body hitting the ground before he was dragged off to be dealt with.  
>He sincerely doubted he'd be seeing him again anytime soon.<p>

And Maxie had been correct.  
>For a good few weeks after Archie had been dumped off near Mossdeep, as his grunts had been tasked with, he lived a relatively tranquil life. Well, as tranquil as it could possibly be while quarreling with Team Aqua and trying to further their plans, returning home almost every night exhausted and drained from the day's events.<br>Weeks ticked by, his mind no longer clutching as fearfully to the thought that Archie would find him and fulfill his promise, instead focused on the problems at hand.

They were nigh upon completing their plans, having discovered that the Blue Orb atop Mt. Pyre would be the key element in reviving Groudon—however, apparently, Team Aqua had discovered that as well, finding the information that the opposite orb, the Red Orb, would revive Kyogre.  
>Even with the urgency to get there first, they still needed more time.<br>They weren't ready quite yet to control Groudon, and even then, they would need to go to Mt. Pyre on a day of low visitation—someone would surely try to contact the police, and the fewer people there, the easier it would be to round them up and place them elsewhere while they accomplished their goals.

The premises of their base were primarily empty.  
>He had many of the grunts to scour and investigate Lilycove, figure out when Mt. Pyre was at its busiest and when it was at its lowest point in activity.<br>Left behind within their base hidden within Mt. Chimney, Maxie was weighted with the task of organizing the whole fiasco of invading Mt. Pyre—there was quite a bit of planning behind every movement.  
>It had to be done just right else they'd crash and burn, left behind with nothing more than shame and bitter defeat. It had happened before. But this time, he wanted it to go flawlessly.<p>

Pacing down the corridor, the hallway brightly illuminated despite the lack of windows anywhere—they were, after all, hidden within the mountain itself, the only lighting coming from what they had brought in. Admittedly, the feeling of there being no escape to the outside other than the front entrance and a secret tunnel out the back made him feel claustrophobic, despite his strong affinity with land.  
>Even the thing you loved would kill you if given the opportunity.<p>

Footsteps echoing against the polished tiles, Maxie paused, his stride faltering.  
>There was another set of footsteps, faster, too fast, and all he was doing was standing still—<p>

Twisting around, all he saw was a flash of blue, and a shit-eating grin before the world went black.

His head was _pounding._

The low, pulsating throb that went from one temple, straight through his skull to the other was enough to make Maxie grip his head the moment he awoke. While the pain was enough to distract him from trying to figure out where he was for a few moments, he managed to endure it long enough to open his eyes, dizzily surveying his environment.  
>Some bastard had managed to steal away into their base, and of course it had to be when he had been at his weakest point, when no one else had been around.<p>

The fog that blurred his vision fading, Maxie finding himself with a sideways view of a… Living room?  
>Hands falling away from his head, they pushed against soft cushions beneath him, heaving up in confusion.<br>He wasn't in the ocean, or even better, some desert somewhere.  
>Instead, he was on a dark, navy-blue sofa in a casually decorated living room that was messy.<br>God, it was like he was in some twenty year old's bachelor pad—there was a shirt draped over the arm of the couch he was laying on, the TV was still running, an old beer bottle sat on the coffee table with no coaster, there were some socks on the creamy-white carpet, and—

"You're awake."

His internal complaints of how dirty the living room was were silenced, Maxie slowly turning, considering if he turned far more sharply, his head would only pound worse.  
>"<em>You,<em>" he hissed, snarling at the sight of Archie, who was beaming at him, plopping down on the couch next to him. Jerking away, curling up against the arm of the couch while still trying not to agitate his head too much, Maxie sent him an accusatory look.  
>"You, you're the one who got into our base—how did you—<em>you knocked me out—"<br>"_Just payback for what you did you me," Archie dismissed with a shrug, shifting something he had in his hands. Maxie wasn't paying attention, his fury too great.  
>"Now we're even."<br>"We are not even! We will never be even! We will not—"  
>He stuttered to a halt as Archie got even closer, pressing a warm, wet cloth against his temple.<p>

"Stop that—what are you doing?" Maxie hissed, flinching as Archie shifted into a far more comfortable position next to him.  
>"You got a headache, right? I know I did when I woke up from where your grunts ditched me," dryly Archie responded. "All I'm doin' is trying to help—<em>I <em>took a hot shower to help with mine, though I doubt you wanna do that, do you?"  
>Grinning at Maxie's mortified look, Archie chuckled, patting Maxie's cheek with his free hand affectionately.<br>"Yeah. That's what I thought."

Maxie, sputtering, could barely respond as Archie picked up his hand, placing it over the cloth as he took back his own.  
>"Hold that there," Archie ordered, Maxie only able to gawk as he stood back up, going back behind the couch. Maxie turned to watch where he went, seeing an open kitchen that directly connected to the living room. The entire house seemed spacious and interconnected—he could see the front door and another small room nearby that surprisingly seemed far less messy, and when he turned back around, there was a hallway.<br>He spotted a bedroom at the end of it, seeing a bit of a bed, but he went right back to following Archie with his eyes, not trusting him for a single second.

"Why am I here?" Maxie finally demanded, watching as Archie took out a pitcher of water from his fridge, pouring a glass.  
>"Mm?"<br>Archie perked up, looking over before he registered the question.  
>"You gave me a month. The month is starting now."<br>Maxie blinked, not sure he had heard him right as Archie headed back, sputtering as he sat down.

"N-no, that isn't how it works, I have _plans, _there are things to be done—"  
>"Mt. Pyre ain't goin' anywhere."<br>Maxie paused, looking slowly over at Archie, who boasted a devilish smile.  
>He could feel his throat tightening with his anger and frustration, wanting to scream, but nothing was coming out besides, "<em>You—"<br>_The glass of water Archie had brought with him was being forced into his free hand, the other still, strangely, holding the warm cloth to his head. It did admittedly feel nice, and even if it had come from Archie, he was only doing this for himself.  
>"Drink," chirruped Archie. "It'll help with the headache. And trust me—it is better to just drink that instead of arguin' with me."<br>Maxie leered.  
>"You drugged it."<br>"You saw me pour it."  
>"You drugged the entire pitcher beforehand."<p>

By that point Archie's smile was gone, his face bored, not finding Maxie's bickering funny.  
>"If I wanted to do anything, I would've done it while you were conked out. It'd be a waste of my time just drugging you to do something—and trust me, that isn't very romantic, is it?"<br>Archie smiled again and Maxie, to swallow the rising scream in his throat, turned away, downing the glass.  
>"I'm drinking this because I want to, not because of you," Maxie added after half the glass had been chugged, having to stop to breathe.<br>Archie's smile was becoming annoying.  
>"I'm sure, Maxie," Archie hummed, Maxie's teeth digging into the edge of the glass as he polished it off, none-too-carefully hucking it back at Archie.<br>It was caught, though not before what remained spilled across Archie's pants—alas, he didn't seem that bothered, shrugging faintly before setting it on the coffee table next to the empty beer bottle.  
>Maxie felt like cracking the bottle over his head and bailing.<p>

"I don't want to be here," he stated plainly, and Archie nodded slightly.  
>"I know."<br>"Then I'm going to leave. I have things to do."  
>Archie smiled, leaning back against the couch, his arms comfortably settled along the back.<br>"I brought you here so you couldn't do shit. I know you want to go to Mt. Pyre, and so do I—but guess what, you're gonna be stuck here. With me. For a month."  
>Maxie, swallowing his rage, tried to speak in level tones, pressing the cloth harder to his head as he looked at Archie.<br>"That is insane—you're crazy if you think you can just _keep me _here for an entire _month _of all things… What are you even _thinking_?"

Archie looked so cocky, leaning back against his couch, grinning as he always did.  
>Maxie wanted to dig his nails into the skin of his face, make him suffer for how arrogant he was, how self-confident he always was. It made his skin crawl, made so uncomfortable by his behavior.<br>"What I'm thinking?"  
>His ravings of how much he loathed every little thing about Archie stopped, the curiosity that plagued him demanding to know why Archie kept him here.<br>"I told you, I'd make you love me."  
>Twitching, Maxie scoffed, turning his head away as he looked at the TV, its low drone filling his ears.<p>

"Impossible," he groaned, flinching where he sat when Archie leaned forward, suddenly serious.  
>"If you fall in love with me by the end of the month, you have to stick with me," Archie informed him as if it were factual, Maxie looking back to leer at him.<br>"And if I don't?"  
>"You can leave, go to Mt. Pyre, and we'll go about our business."<br>Maxie blinked, staring at Archie intently, searching out for the lie in his eyes.  
>"… You'll just… Let me leave?" he repeated slowly. "Do what I want? Take what I need from Mt. Pyre and not try to stop my team?"<br>Archie nodded confirmation, though his tone was warning as he added, "But if you fall in love with me-"  
>"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm stuck with you. Seems easy enough."<p>

Maxie pushed himself up so that his back rested against one of the couch pillows, looking back to the TV.  
>"Sorry to tell you, Archie, but you have set yourself up for failure. I hope you are ready for my rejection in a month."<br>Smiling, Archie got up, reaching out and letting his fingertips gloss over Maxie's hair, feeling the other man tense.  
>"You'll be surprised, I'm sure, <em>love,<em>" Archie purred, walking away to put the empty glass thrown at him back in the kitchen.  
>He could feel Maxie's eyes burning holes into his back.<p> 


	2. Shopping

"You'll be staying here."

Maxie stared blankly at the cozy-looking guest room that was surprisingly immaculate compared to the rest of Archie's home. It had the basic necessities—a dresser, bed, and a wardrobe to fill in for a lack of closet. Still, it was painted with the same theme of blue with the rest of the house. Even the décor within, including the bed cover, was some shade of blue or a complimentary color of it.  
>At least the window on the far left wall had a nice view of outside.<br>From the angle that he could see it from the door, he saw what appeared to be Archie's backyard and a minimalistic garden.  
>Already he knew what he was going to be spending his time most with.<p>

Silent, his eyes scouring every nook and cranny, or rather the lack thereof, he looked back to a smiling Archie, his face not nearly as pleasant.  
>"That's nice and all, but I still need clothes. I'm not going to be wearing the same set of clothing all the time."<br>There was a silent hope that he had somehow set back the other man in his thoughtless planning, but with a look of consideration and a nod of agreement, Archie dismissed it easily.  
>"We'll go shopping then."<p>

Mouth opening and closing, Maxie couldn't find a sufficient argument to fill the empty air.  
>"But—I'll try to escape!"<br>"You really think I'll just let you run off?"  
>"It is probably too late to go shopping."<br>"Actually, it is almost two, and I think now's a good time."  
>Maxie kept himself from grimacing. He had no sense of time, considering he had been knocked out what felt like hours ago and who knew how long he had been unconscious.<br>Everything felt like it was going so fast, from waking up on Archie's couch, to now suddenly it being early enough to be shopping, of all things.

Settling for a scowl that rivaled the pleasant beam Archie boasted, Maxie folded his arms over his chest, looking back into the room.  
>"The room looks terrible," he grumbled dismally, unable to conjure any kind of retort. It was pitiful to be insulting the décor of a room in a house that wasn't even his, though he couldn't manage much else.<br>Ignoring the attempt at an insult Maxie made, Archie took the opportunity of his distraction to grab on his arm and drag him away from the room he'd be staying in back into the living room down the hall.  
>"How's your head feeling? Think you need some ibuprofen?" Archie asked, letting go of Maxie to turn off the television.<p>

"What I need is for you to get out of my hair," Maxie huffed, Archie staring at him for a long moment.  
>"… Alright, no ibuprofen then. Well," Archie grabbed a coat that was thrown over an armchair, pulling it over his t-shirt, "Let's go. Lilycove ain't far from here and it'll be nice to go for a walk."<br>Maxie didn't look nearly as agreeable, thus the only choice for Archie being to reach out and grab his hand again.  
>Seeing it coming, the redhead snapped his arm back, causing Archie to blink in surprise.<br>"I can walk without you holding my hand as if I'm a child," growled Maxie, striding past Archie towards the front of the house.  
>He could almost taste freedom, but as Archie caught up, he felt it die on his tongue as the other man opened the door.<br>Stepping back, grandly waving the hand not holding the door, Archie smiled.

"Less hand-holding, got it. But, after you."

Maxie tried to find the sarcasm in that remark, leering at Archie's face as he sought out some sort of mocking look. All he saw was genuine and he simply looked away, heading out first.  
>The door clicked shut behind as Archie followed suit, Maxie busy taking in the details of where Archie's home was situated.<br>From the looks of their environment, it was close to Lilycove—typical, for him to be living so close to the sea. Otherwise, it was embedded in the wilderness, yet not too far from civilization if he needed to go out on excursions such as this one.  
>Smart.<p>

"Admiring the scenery?"  
>Archie stood nearby, looking almost impatient as Maxie took his time with absorbing all of the details of his environment.<br>"Just trying to figure out the best route of escape," Maxie dryly responded, begrudgingly turning and walking after Archie. He was somewhat thankful that he wasn't so deep into the wilderness that they would have to trek through pokemon-infested forests and tall grass.  
>Speaking of…<br>He reached down to his belt, and found the pokeballs there before he had been knocked unconscious were gone.

"What did you do to my pokemon?"  
>His voice came as a low hiss, Archie perking up from their walk, his eyes focused on the distant Mt. Pyre. The ferry that had once been running to allow passage to the other side and thus to Lilycove was no longer running, his mind drifting to his Sharpedo, but with Maxie's eyes leering at him he knew he couldn't remain silent for long.<br>"They are in a safe place," he assured, finding the pokeball that contained his Sharpedo as they approached the dock.  
>"You didn't just dump them into the ocean?"<p>

Appearing insulted, Archie gave Maxie a long look before shaking his head.  
>"I'm not that much of an ass," he grunted, throwing the pokeball containing his Sharpedo up into the air. In a burst of red light that snaked down to the water, the pokemon emerged, opening its jaws excitedly as it bobbed in the waters.<br>Maxie eye-balled it with caution, noting the sharp fangs that he had heard were capable of tearing through sheets of metal. He didn't exactly feel like having it try doing the same with one of his limbs.  
>"Maybe we shouldn't go shopping after all," the redhead offered up when realizing that the intent was to ride Archie's Sharpedo to the other dock just around Mt. Pyre, looking nervous as he took a step back.<p>

"What? Kaito is pretty reliable, Maxie," Archie bent down, reaching out and rubbing Kaito's snout, the Sharpedo growling happily, "Unless you're just scared of the water?"  
>Flinching, it was Maxie's turn to look indignant as he leered at Archie.<br>"I'm not afraid of the water. I'm afraid of that pokemon of yours taking a bite out of me!"  
>Kaito peered up, its pleasant look turning to disdain as it recognized the man whose pokemon it frequently had been set against.<br>The slowly developing vicious look was stopped with a rough push from Archie, the Sharpedo shaking itself, looking sullen as it was glared at.

"Kaito will play nice," Archie soothed, wanting to get a move on. Maxie had yet to budge, staring down Kaito and Archie.  
>Righting himself, giving one last pat to Kaito, Archie took a few steps towards the redhead, who wore a cautious look, his eyes following his every movement.<br>"If I wanted to hurt ya, I would've done it when I knocked you out."  
>Extending a hand to Maxie, Archie raised his eye brows, waiting to see whether or not Maxie would continue to back out.<br>Eyes falling down to the offered hand, Maxie's lips thinned, drawing tight over his teeth as he weighed his options in his mind.

Caving with a sigh, he narrowed his eyes as he accepted Archie's hand, tempted to dig in his fingernails to show him how little he trusted him.  
>"If it dumps me into the water—" he threatened, Archie waving his free hand as he tugged Maxie back to the edge of the dock, Kaito lining himself up length-wise against it.<br>"He won't," Archie assured, patting Maxie's hand soothingly. Judging by the redhead's dark look, it hadn't done much, so Archie just smiled sweetly before letting go.  
>Folding his arms over his chest as he watched Archie slip onto the back of his Sharpedo with a practiced ease, Maxie still felt wary of getting onto the water-type.<p>

What if he was dumped into the water?  
>Or worse, the pokemon freaked out and attacked him?<br>Just because Archie claimed it would be fine didn't mean it necessarily would be. That Sharpedo loathed him and there was only so much Archie could control.

"You comin'?"

Maxie blinked out of his stupor, seeing Archie again offering his hand to him, looking curious. Grimacing, not looking excited in the slightest, he begrudgingly took his hand.  
>The soft, gentle grip that encompassed his palm became firm, Maxie looking down in confusion. His confusion faded quite quickly when he was tugged harshly forward, yelping as he lost his balance on the dock. Any escape was futile now as he plummeted down, closing his eyes tightly within the few milliseconds he had before his certain impact with water-<br>Archie, still maintaining his grip on Maxie's hand, reached out with his other arm, snagging him around his waist and pulling him to Kaito, keeping Maxie from what felt like his death sentence in the water.  
>"Gotcha!" proclaimed Archie with pride, holding onto Maxie while the redhead dug his fingers almost painfully into his shoulders, looking a little more than ruffled after his rather short fall.<p>

"Don't do that _ever _again," he hissed, staring down at the water and then at Kaito, slowly shifting so that he was no longer clutching onto Archie for dear life but rather settled on the pokemon itself. 'Uncomfortable' wasn't quite a strong enough word to describe how he felt.  
>It more so felt like, 'I'm going to die in about thirty seconds'.<br>"I'll try to keep that in mind," Archie hummed, Kaito making a noise of discontent as he felt Maxie try to find a decent position on the Sharpedo that wouldn't result in him falling off.  
>Settled behind Archie, Maxie's hands felt tentatively along the sides of Kaito until he felt his wrists snagged, eyes widening as Archie purposefully moved his arms so that instead of gripping onto the Sharpedo, he was made to hold onto the man sitting in front.<p>

"Your arms go here," Archie instructed, luckily unable to see the look of revolt on Maxie's face.  
>"I am <em>not <em>holding onto you like some woman would hold onto a man when—" Maxie began to rave, his voice gradually rising in pitch with his frustration.  
>He practically bit his own tongue when Kaito suddenly surged forward, promptly eating his own words as he clutched onto Archie with his fear of falling intensifying.<br>Had he seen Archie's big grin, he would have probably slapped it right off his face, though for the time being he was engrossed with not being dumped into the water as Kaito expertly navigated around Mt. Pyre to the other dock.  
>It was only a short few minutes to get around and by that point Maxie was entirely frazzled, not excited with having being coerced into this.<p>

Pulling up alongside the dock, Maxie did not wait for Archie—he was back on the dock before the other man could even turn around, Archie gawking.  
>"… When did you become so quick?"<br>Maxie, sitting on the dock a good distance away from the edge, leered at him.  
>"Alright, alright. Bad question to ask."<br>Getting onto the dock, Archie rubbed Kaito's snout, cooing some sweet things to the Sharpedo before recalling him back to his pokeball.

"Alright, Lilycove isn't too far from here," mused Archie, watching Maxie get to his feet and brush himself off, still looking quite indignant.  
>"By the way, I'm not buying you anything that has red on it."<br>The nasty look from Maxie was easily dismissed as Archie nudged him forward, guiding him into the direction of Lilycove.  
>"I'm not that obsessed with the color red," snippily Maxie answered him as they fell into step together, his tone insulted.<br>The pathway had become far more beaten down, their environment changing from looking apart of the wilderness to more influenced by man. There were berry plants alongside the path the further they went, flowers lining the worn dirt that had obviously been beaten down by many passerby.  
>Not too far away, Maxie could see the arched gateway that led into the city, also surrounded by blooming berry bushes.<p>

"I think that's debatable," Archie shot back, smiling even with the permanently dark look on Maxie's face.  
>"Y'know, people are gonna give you funny looks if you are just glaring at everything all the time."<br>Maxie's glare deepened into a scowl, the sound of ocean waves and light talk becoming far more prevalent. Lilycove was alive with tourist activity, its Contest Hall looking especially busy today as Archie looked over to evaluate it. Foreigners came across the region and from other regions beyond their oceans to see where contests had first originated.  
>It also helped that Lilycove boasted the largest shopping mall in all of Hoenn, that in itself drawing Hoenn natives to splurge on things not available in their own towns.<p>

Maxie's eyes homed in on some children grooming their pokemon, sitting together in the soft grass away from the cobblestone pathways. Their chatter was too soft for him to hear, but his memories were enough to fill in the gaps, watching one little girl petting the head of her all-too happy looking Numel.  
>They all seemed so blissfully ignorant of the world, at peace with what they had as they surely discussed their future careers in this world of pokemon.<br>"Maxie, the mall's up there."  
>The look of yearning Maxie hadn't realized had developed on his face returned to a scowl, looking up to Archie halfway up the path to the large shopping center mounted on the hillside of Lilycove.<br>Embedded in nature, the grandeur buildings still seemed to meld into the ocean side, allowing nature to still bloom while they worked around it.

"I'm coming."  
>Archie smiled, ignoring the snippy tone of Maxie as he went right on by, going on ahead to the mall. He would have called him far earlier, but—such thoughtful looks were a rarity unseen before.<br>Perhaps these moments would be key in unlocking Maxie's mind.

Trailing after, Archie was smart enough not to look too pleased when the redhead glanced back, leering at him venomously before deciding it wasn't worth his time.  
>Looking up at the tall shopping center, only able to see clearly into the first few stories, the other windows were too distant to provide a proper viewing of what was within.<br>"I haven't been in here in years," mumbled Maxie, Archie finding his stride with him as the automatic doors slid open for them, revealing the main lobby.  
>Two receptionists were working the front desk, one occupied with helping a woman and her child figure out what floor they needed to go while the other was monitoring a computer.<p>

"Welcome to the Lilycove Department Store!" the receptionist on the left chirruped, her face bright and energetic. The male receptionist peered up, smiled, and then went back to his conversation.  
>As anticipated, it was relatively busy—the lobby was brimming with tourists and native alike, though regularly they sifted out, either leaving the store with bags in hand or taking the stairs and elevators up to their desired floor.<br>"How may I help you today?"

Maxie let his bitter-looking expression vanish as some children began peering over at him with questioning, confused eyes, obviously nigh upon asking their parents why he looked to be in such a foul mood. Not desiring the attention, he settled with a far more neutral look as Archie asked about a section of the mall that was dedicated to clothes shopping.  
>Like before, the receptionist's response was peppy and quick, Archie nodding and thanking her before motioning to Maxie to join him by the elevator.<br>Pressing the button to call down an elevator, Archie peered curiously over at Maxie, who eventually became bothered by the silence.

"What?"  
>"You don't look as grouchy anymore."<br>Twitching, grinding his teeth together as he forced his neutral look to remain, Maxie raised an eye brow.  
>"And?" he responded coldly, Archie shrugging, the elevator giving a low 'ding' as its doors opened.<br>"You look nicer when you aren't glaring at everything and everyone," Archie dismissively answered, not losing a beat as he got into the elevator and pressed the button for the appropriate floor.  
>"Number six," he announced, watching the doors close, surprisingly no one hustling to try and get in as well. There was anyone getting off, either, so the ride was pleasantly quiet aside from the rumble of the elevator rising through the store.<br>Maxie not once spoke up, not even to combat Archie's remark, simply staring down the sleek steel doors until another low 'ding' announced their arrival and the doors slid open.

A couple was standing in front of their path, kindly stepping to the aside to let them exit before they got on. Briefly, Maxie could see them kiss before the elevator doors shut again, internally cringing.  
>Public displays of affection were disgusting—it would better to do them all a favor and keep it somewhere where no one could see it.<p>

"Where do you wanna start?"  
>Perking back up, Maxie let his eyes scour the entirety of the sixth floor dedicated to clothing with Archie's thought-provoking question in mind.<br>"… Let's just start with shirts," Maxie decided, seeing it was closest to the elevator and probably the easiest thing to start with.  
>Grabbing the shopping cart from the multitude set up specifically next to the stairs and elevator, Maxie paused, giving Archie a hard stare.<br>"You can go and do your own thing. I'll get what I need, and we can buy it, and then go."  
>Archie blinked, his immediate thought wondering just how self-conscious Maxie happened to be, but shrugged.<p>

"Whatever you wanna do, babe."  
>"Do <em>not <em>call me 'babe'!"  
>An employee going by paused, looking over at them in confusion before shaking his head and keeping on, Maxie feeling his cheeks begin to burn as he turned sharply away.<br>"We'll meet back here, buy everything, and then go," Maxie muttered, Archie watching as he delved into the section of shirts, tempted to give another shrug.  
>Instead, he turned around, figuring he could go look for a new pair of shoes while Maxie did his thing.<p>

"That was fast."

His arms braced against the handle of the cart, Maxie gave Archie a blank look. He didn't seem very amused.  
>"I just grabbed what will last me," Maxie curtly replied, looking back at the cart—seven pairs of pants, seven shirts, and then an assortment of other things such as belts, socks, and so forth.<br>"And no matter what you think, I will be going back to my house, even if you have to supervise me, and getting my own clothing."  
>Archie rolled his eyes, digging out his wallet as he directed his thoughts to getting this all to the cashier and getting out of there.<p>

"Whatever," he grumbled, checking how much cash he had on him on their way to the register, neither looking especially happy.  
>"At least you aren't burning a hole into my wallet."<br>Well, to an extent.

The total was considerably high though luckily he had it on him, paying for everything, watching it be bagged and then heading back off for the elevator, Maxie looking reasonably relieved to be freed of the stress of shopping.  
>One child had kept asking her mother if his hair was really that red or if it was a wig.<br>Another employee had pestered him for some time if he wanted to try on other clothes.  
>Nigh upon murdering someone that tried to speak to him next—besides Archie, whose pestering he had become almost numb to—Maxie felt relief as the elevator sank down to the lobby, the lack of obnoxious music drifting through it also another relief.<br>The store really needed to find a new radio station to use.

The same receptionist from before bid them a fond, yet perky farewell as they headed out the way they came, Maxie sucking in the cool air as he felt relief at being freed sweep over him.  
>His body seemed to feel the same as his stomach gave a loud, obnoxious growl, the redhead's immediate reaction being to thump his free hand over his stomach as if that would silence it.<p>

"Did that come from _you_?"  
>Archie's humored snort was enough to shatter Maxie's slowly bettering mood, which plummeted as he snapped around, humiliation crossing his face.<br>"I'll have you know—"  
>"Come on, it's a good time to get something to eat."<br>Frazzled as his soon-to-be tongue lashing was interrupted, Maxie opened his mouth to try and protest in some way, find a method of continuing his verbal punishment of Archie, but he was effectively silenced by a light hand on his wrist guiding him off.  
>"You like burgers, right? There's this new joint that opened up and I've been dying to go—and I don't see why this isn't a good enough occasion."<p>

Taking Maxie's silence as a, 'Yes Archie I love burgers and your ideas are always fantastic', Archie guided a semi-willing Maxie off back down the path and deeper into Lilycove.  
>Glancing back down the path, the children Maxie had been observing before were gone, probably off at home to pursue whatever interests they had beyond playing with their companions. Frowning somewhat, Maxie wasn't allowed to dwell on it long as Archie pulled a bit more firmly to draw his attention when his feet slowed.<br>"No time to just stand around, gotta move," Archie ushered, Maxie rolling his eyes heavily.  
>"You're an idiot."<p>

When he had envisioned going to some burger joint, Maxie had imagined actually remaining in said joint and eating said burgers.  
>What hadn't been on his mind was sitting on one of the many ledges on one of the many hillsides of Lilycove facing the ocean, legs dangling off with a paper bag between them.<br>Pushing back the white wrapper, Archie bit into the large hamburger he had ordered, looking quite satisfied as he beamed, letting his legs sway.  
>"This is good!" he proclaimed after swallowing, his stamp of approval apparently necessary to be heard.<br>His own satisfaction far more quiet as he crunched down on a Kalos fry, Maxie focused his eyes instead on the distant horizon.

Even though the air was becoming far crisper, a chill breeze enough to send goose bumps up his neck, Maxie could quietly admit as he slowly ate that it was beautiful.  
>The sun painted the formerly blue ocean dazzling colors of pinks and reds with hints of pastel blue still sneaking back in, glittering like a sea of rare gems.<br>Watching the sun set over the ocean had never been at the top of his list, what with his absolute loathing of the ocean waters in general, but Maxie was more than capable of confessing how beautiful it was.  
>Yet, beauty still could hold danger.<p>

"Pretty, isn't it?"  
>Maxie bit down harder than he normally would into the burger he had barely gotten out, unable to speak with a mouthful so he just settled with a raised eye brow in question.<br>Looking over at him and then back to the sunset, Archie looked nearly as wistful as Maxie was sure he had when watching those children play with their pokemon.  
>"I remember going out all the time as a kid to watch the sun set. I thought that the ocean had managed to capture all that color and I even thought it turned the water into gemstones. Dumb, I know, but I remember wanting to go all the way out to the horizon and get one of those stones for myself, so I could hold all that beauty in my hands."<br>His words were slow and soft, a change from the upbeat, energetic tone he had been using for the entirety of the day.  
>The switch in mood felt suitable in Maxie's eyes, fitting for the calm hour in which all activity had been lulled down to nearly nothing.<p>

His thoughts drifted of how they shared the same thought, of how it looked like there was a sea of beautiful stones instead of water at sunset, briefly wondering who all else thought the same.  
>"It is pretty," finally he agreed, his voice a murmur around his burger as he tried to not entirely seem like he had caved to Archie's interests, especially regarding the ocean.<br>It seemed that he was heard either way, though not harassed about it as Archie simply nodded; his eyes still fixed on the sun as it fell lower and lower.

By the hour of twilight they were throwing away their trash and preparing for the journey back to Archie's home, bags in hand as they marched back out of Lilycove and to the dock near Mt. Pyre. Unlike the first time, Maxie wasn't nearly as squirmy and anxiety-riddled when taking Kaito back around, though the gleam of caution had yet to fade from his eyes as the thought of falling haunted him.  
>Less conversation was made and it became even less as they got closer to Archie's house, nonexistent when the front door was being unlocked and when Maxie brushed by.<br>His back still burned with Archie's gaze following him, the heat of it almost enough to make him pause, look back and demand why he seemed so interested in watching him.

Swallowing the urge down, Maxie fled to the guest room he had been introduced to prior to put away his new clothes that he'd be wearing until he could get his own for the month long stay in this prison.  
>This was still a prison, right?<br>It wasn't exactly the same—it just had the same end result of being incapable of leaving, of being trapped.  
>Hanging up a shirt, a frown pressing itself into his lips, Maxie contemplated how he'd be able to endure Archie and his madness, for this was only the first day.<br>At least it was February—the shortest month, which hopefully meant his imprisonment would not be long.  
>All he had to do was ignore Archie's advances, tell him that he was not in love with him—a ridiculous notion to begin with—and then return to Team Magma to carry out with his plans.<p>

Team Magma.  
>He paused in folding a pair of slacks, frowning. They had no idea where he was, or at least he thought they had no idea.<br>Who knew what kind of message Archie might have sent to them letting them know where their leader was?

Shaking his head, Maxie tucked away the pants, finding himself all too quickly done putting away what little clothing he had.  
>Sitting down on the edge of the bed, his eyes drifted to the window where he had a good view of Archie's backyard. The head of a large flower brushed the edge of the window, just barely within his sights, but enough of a hint of what kind of plant life was growing out there.<p>

"I'm heading to bed."  
>"<em>God<em>—"  
>Maxie tensed as Archie's voice sliced cleanly through the silence, whipping around to see him in the doorway, leaning against the frame.<br>"Don't sneak up on me like that," Maxie hissed, grimly reminded of Archie knocking him unconscious in the hallway of his base.  
>"Sorry," sheepishly Archie replied with a smile that matched his tone of voice.<br>"Just wanted to let you know—it's already kinda late and I know I'm tired, and you look tired too."  
>Maxie, looking briefly back to the window, just nodded, pursing his lips.<p>

"I'm assuming tomorrow will be another long day of enduring you, so I should be heading to bed as well," Maxie grimly decided, met with a grin that made him want to hit Archie as hard as he possibly could.  
>"Yup," Archie confirmed giddily, pulling back away from the doorway.<br>"I have a lot in store for us!" Maxie heard him call from down the hall, his voice fading into nothing. The sound of the master bedroom door being opened and closed was enough to assure that the torment was ended for tonight.  
>Yet, he still had the rest of the month.<p>

Maxie let his body fall to the bed, rolling over and groaning into the pillows.


End file.
